


In Remembrance

by freshiiiee



Category: Caduceus | Trauma Center Series
Genre: Because Maria, Butterflies, Death, Friendship, Gen, Ghosts, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, Nightmares, Roses, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 19:42:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17855762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freshiiiee/pseuds/freshiiiee
Summary: Even after the Rosalia outbreak had ended, Maria still has trouble coming to terms with the death of her childhood friend. After a heart-to-heart with CR-S01, the two of them decide to honor her in a way that will never be forgotten for as long as they live.





	In Remembrance

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for a summer collab event on DeviantArt in 2015. I don't have DeviantArt anymore, but I found this old document lying around and decided that it's not as cringey as I remembered it and figured I post it. Do people still write for this series?

After the Rosalia Virus outbreak came to an end, everyone involved was quick to return to his or her daily lives, almost acting like none of this had ever happened. In time, the disease itself would become nothing but a footnote on the pages of America's history, only to be forgotten and fade away. However, there was one person who wasn't going to forget about it anytime soon, and that was Maria Torres. It was very frustrating for her. It seemed like she was the only one who wasn't able to move past this nightmare and get back to her responsibilities as a paramedic. Well, at least that's how she felt. To anyone else, they would probably think that Maria was fine and ready to whip the new interns into submission again, not even dwelling on the fact that the Rosalia outbreak only happened two weeks ago. But they couldn't be more wrong. Maria would still wake up in the middle of the night after having dreams about losing a patient. Sometimes she would space out during one of her breaks and daydream that one of her friends, or even herself had been infected- eyes, mouth, and ears bleeding, black bruises covering the skin- and there was nothing that could be done to eradicate the virus. Occasionally, she would imagine the way Rosalia had died as if she had been there herself, only being able to helplessly watch as Albert Sartre shot bullet after bullet into his daughter's body. Luckily, Maria was good at hiding her true feelings from everybody and acting like her usual self, but all of these visions were really taking a toll on her sanity, and it would only be a matter of time before she would crack. No doubt Esha would send her straight to the looney house or to intensive therapy if she did lose her composure, and Maria sure as hell wasn't going to let that happen. She would just wait for these thoughts to go away on their own. Eventually, she would move on...right?  
  
_Maria was on the ground, coughing and trying hard not to inhale the smoke that was settling in the air above her. Bright orange and red flames danced on the walls and doors of the orphanage, engulfing everything in their powerful clutches. The exit...she had to get to the exit. Mustering all of her strength, she began to crawl, ignoring the glowing embers nipping her skin and the floating ash particles getting in her eyes.  
  
"C'mon..." She groaned. "Just...a little...more..."  
  
Finally, the door to outside was in her line of reach. She held her breath as she carefully stood up, leaning against the door for support. It wasn't hot, that was a good sign. As soon as her fingers wrapped around the doorknob, she twisted it fiercely and forced the door right open. A huge crowd had gathered around the orphanage: firefighters and policemen and paramedics were already running to and from the building, bystanders were watching with fascination as if this were an action movie, the caretakers were either doing headcounts of the orphans or comforting the crying younger ones. Maria started to run towards them, wheezing as her lungs were trying to expel all of the smoke that she inhaled. She only managed to get a few steps away from the burning building when she heard a little girl shrieking.   
  
"EEEEEK! Someone...anyone...help me!"   
  
Maria stopped and turned around before noticing a scrawny little girl at the window, screaming and wailing in a panic.  
  
"Rose!" Maria shouted, already turning to go back into the hellfire.  
  
"Maria, help me! Save me!"  
  
"Just hang on, I'm coming! Stop crying already!"  
  
"Dr. Torres!"   
  
Maria immediately stopped when she heard the familiar voice of one of her coworkers. Darnell was rushing towards her with an anxious look on his face.  
  
"You have to come quickly! It's Dr. Tachibana!"  
  
Maria gaped. "Wha...What the hell happened to her?!"  
  
"It's the Rosalia Virus! She got infected and is now in critical condition! She won't stop hemorrhaging! You have to save her!"  
  
"Alright, I'll be..."  
  
"Big Sis!" Rosalia cried out. "Please, help me!"  
  
"Rose, I...dammit!" Maria was conflicted. Rose was trapped in a burning building, about to be seared to a crisp. At the same time, Tomoe was bleeding out and could die at any minute. What could she do? Who was she supposed to save first?  
  
"Dr. Torres! Tomoe isn't going to last much longer!"  
  
"Maria, I'm burning! It hurts! Save me!"  
  
Maria clenched her eyes shut and fell to her knees, the pleading voices around her overwhelming her and making her unable to concentrate properly. That was when another scream rang out into the air, only to be cut off by a booming gunshot. Maria jerked her head up and noticed that Rosalia wasn't standing anymore, instead now slumped over the windowsill as blood poured from her chest and dripped onto Maria's face like raindrops. In the glow of the flames, Maria could see a dark figure holding up a gun, a bright, crazed smile on its face. The sound of a heart monitor flatlining broke her attention from the scene, and she turned around to see Tomoe bleeding heavily from her mouth as her entire face was covered in bruises. A paramedic was trying to resuscitate her with an AED, but it was no use.  
  
"We're losing her!"  
  
In that moment, Maria realized that she was too slow to react and because of that, both of her friends were now dead. Unable to bear it any longer, she tilted her head back to scream, only to gurgle on her own blood that was seeping from her mouth. She looked at her hand and noticed the scaly pattern of the bruises on her skin. Someone called her name, but she found herself physically incapable of responding as she started to lose consciousness. Soon, everything faded to black and she knew no more.  
  
_Maria shot up from her bed, her body covered in sweat as her chest heaved up and down. Her heart thumped relentlessly against her chest, and she almost felt like she had just run a grueling marathon. After a few seconds of taking in her surroundings, she finally realized that she was in her apartment and the torture she endured was only a nightmare. She calmed down and her breathing slowed, but she found herself unable to fall back to sleep. Cursing, she got out of her bed, fumbled around in the darkness until finding the light switch, and went over to her kitchen. A bottle of sleeping pills rested on the counter. She poured two out into her hand and went over to the fridge to grab a beer.   
  
"I probably shouldn't do this...ah, screw it." Maria shook her head and swallowed the pills along with the beer. She was at that point where she didn't care for anything else besides getting a full night's sleep. "This is what I've been reduced to..."  
  
"Aw, that sounds depressing when you say it like that."   
  
"Who said that?!" Maria whirled around upon hearing that voice, but nobody was there. She scanned every area of the room, but not a soul was to be found. She sighed.  
  
"Must be the pills. Either that, or I'm  _really_ losing it."  
  
Forgetting about that little moment earlier, Maria took a long sip from her beer and went back to her bed. She was about to climb back into the sheets when she thought she saw something moving to the rolling chair in the corner of the room. She tried to convince herself that it was only her imagination at play because she was tired, but the image looked too real to be a hallucination. Just to be safe, she reached under her bed where a metal baseball bat lay, and cautiously approached the chair.  
  
"Wh-Who's there?" She said uneasily. "I swear, you don't wanna mess with me. I'm very tired and very pissed off and I won't show you any mercy."  
  
With shaking hands, Maria grabbed the back of the chair and spun it around to reveal who was sitting in it. What she saw made her drop both the bat and her beer.  
  
"Big sis!"  
  
Maria was awestruck. The person she saw before her was none other than Rosalia, or Crybaby Rose as she was formerly called. The younger girl gazed happily into Maria's eyes, waiting for her to say something, but Maria was at a loss for words.  
  
_No...this is impossible._  
  
She felt dizzy and sick all of a sudden. This couldn't be real life. Rosalia was dead. Maria had seen the corpse herself; there was no way she could be sitting in the chair before her with her usual cheery expression. Had she finally lost her mind?  
  
"No, I...this has got to be a dream..." Maria chuckled, but it was broken. "There's no way you're here right now. I mean, you're..."  
  
"A ghost?" Rose finished. "Well, yeah. Sorta..."  
  
"H-Huh?!"  
  
"You've seen me before, right? It was when I was warning you about the danger of my disease."  
  
"Yeah, I do remember that. But then you went away..."  
  
"And now you're imagining me back!"  
  
"Wait, whoa, wait. Back up a second. What do you mean by that? Are you saying this is all in my mind?!"  
  
Rosalia played with her fingers, a nervous habit of hers since she was a child. For someone who was dead, her eyes looked very lively. "We were pretty close, weren't we, Maria? Though I was kinda sad when you didn't answer my letter. It's my fault though. I forgot to put a return address."  
  
Maria was glad no one else was in the room right now. She wouldn't want anyone to see her talking to the air like she had an imaginary friend. Though in a sense, she kind of did. Nevertheless, she decided to play along. "Yeah, I guess we were. You followed me around all the time calling me 'big sis.' You were pretty childish for someone who was almost eleven. But what does that have to do with anything?"  
  
"So you agree that our friendship was strong? I'm glad." Rosalia's mood suddenly became solemn. "I'm dead, Maria. But the reason you still see me is because I'm not truly gone from your mind. It's like when I left the orphanage. I'm sure even after I got adopted, you still remembered me like I remembered you."  
  
Maria let out a dry laugh. "Well, you honestly aren't that easily forgettable."  
  
Rosalia giggled. "All the same though, this is why I'm here. You're holding onto my memory even more now that I'm gone for good. You really do miss me, huh?"  
  
"This is so insane." Maria muttered to herself. It wasn't like Rosalia would actually be offended by her comment since this was all a figment of her imagination. "I...I can't really believe this. You know what? Here's my theory. I'm just really tired. I haven't been getting enough sleep. I took sleeping pills with alcohol, which I'll probably never do again. So basically...my brain is out of it, and that's why I'm having this...conversation with you."  
  
Rosalia shrugged. "Whatever you say, Maria."  
  
"Yep, and once I get enough sleep you'll be gone, I'll get my sanity back, and this will all be just a bad dream. So yeah...I'm gonna go to bed now."  
  
"Sweet dreams, Maria." Rose flashed her a friendly smile, almost like she was implying  _yeah, just keep telling yourself that._  "By the way, you've been exposed to my virus a bunch of times. Aren't you concerned you might be infected?"  
  
"O-Of course not! I know how this disease works. If I was infected with it, I'm pretty sure I would have noticed it by now."  
  
"Okay, but still...you should probably get checked out. I'm always worrying about you, after all."  
  
Maria didn't bother to reply, instead just crawling under the comforter and pulling the sheets over her head. She turned on her side so she didn't have to face Rosalia, even though she knew she wasn't really there. The bed was warm and comfy, practically inviting her to relax and close her eyes, but even still Maria could not fall asleep no matter how exhausted her body and mind were. Rosalia's words continued to haunt her mind:  
  
_You're imagining me back...I'm not truly gone from your mind._  
  
Maria pulled her pillow over her head in an attempt to block out her voice, yet her mind continued to wander. She remembered the dream she had only a few moments ago, where Rose was killed in front of her, Tomoe died during emergency treatment, and she herself became infected with the virus.   
  
_Aren't you concerned you might be infected? You should probably get checked out..._  
  
"DAMMIT!" Maria shouted and leapt out of bed. "It's no use!"  
  
Muttering curses to herself, Maria snatched her keys off the nightstand and grabbed her jacket that rested on the counter as she trudged out the door. She didn't bother to put on a helmet as she fired up her motorcycle and rode it back to Resurgam. And while she was riding, she could have sworn that a pair of skinny, white arms were wrapped around her frame as if hanging on for dear life.

* * *

  
Good thing the labs were open at four in the morning. The coast was clear. Maria quietly walked over to a door that led into the labs and swiped her ID into the card reader. The red light on the device turned green and granted her access. Quickly, she slipped into the room and shut it behind her. After looking around for a few minutes, she finally found a table cleared of all lab equipment. She grabbed an unused blood test kit and went over to sit at the table as she pulled on a pair of surgical gloves nearby. Time to get to work. She took off her jacket and used the sleeve to wrap it tightly around her arm. After disinfecting her skin, she lightly flicked her arm in order to get a vein to rise. Once she was able to find it, she took a syringe and pierced the needle into her skin. Next to her, the ghost of Rosalia shuddered.  
  
"Oh, I hate needles." She whined. "How can you do that so easily?"  
  
"I don't think anything fazes me as much anymore." Maria muttered back. It was sad how true that statement was.  
  
After drawing enough blood, Maria withdrew the needle, transferred the blood to a vial, disposed of the syringe in a biohazard bag, and unwrapped the jacket sleeve from her arm. After bandaging up the wound and cleaning up her "work" area, she took the vial filled with her blood and placed it into an analyzer machine. A few minutes later, the report of her results were printed up. She took it and anxiously began to read over it.  
  
"...Negative." She sighed, half out of relief and half out of annoyance. "Just as I thought. And to think I was worried for no reason."   
  
She crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it into a nearby waste bin before exiting the lab. By now it was almost five in the morning; her shift would start in an hour.   
  
"So much for getting a full night's sleep." She grumbled. "Might as well head to the break room since I'm already here."  
  
A cup of strong, black coffee never sounded more inviting until now. Unless there was a busy night in the ER, the break room was generally empty at this hour. So Maria was somewhat surprised to see someone already there, resting his head on the table. She got a better look at the person and realized it was CR-S01, which was kind of strange considering that she normally only saw him during the day. Something must have come up that required him to be at Resurgam at such an early hour. Maria went over to the coffee machine, silently thanking whoever went through the trouble of already making a fresh pot, and filled up two glass mugs. She took a seat next to her surgeon friend and set the cups down. CR-S01 was fast asleep, so Maria reached over and lightly tickled the back of his neck. He twitched a few times before letting out a low groan and slowly rising up in his chair. His face was flushed from lying down with his arms covered over his head. It took him a few moments to register where he was until he saw Maria next to him, a cunning grin on her face.  
  
"Maria?" He muttered tiredly.  
  
"Morning, Sleeping Beauty." She chuckled, gently pushing a cup of coffee in front of him. "Here's your wake up call."  
  
"Um...thank you." He said with a yawn, then picked up the cup and took a long sip from it. His eyes suddenly widened in alarm. "Shit, what time is it?!"  
  
Maria indicated to the clock in the lounge. It was almost five-thirty. CR-S01 visibly relaxed. "Oh."  
  
"I've never seen you here at this hour before."  
  
"I had an early operation." He explained, finishing off the rest of his coffee. "Well, not really. It was a heart transplant. We finished up at around two."  
  
"Yikes. I'm guessing you have another one to do as well?"  
  
"In a couple of hours."  
  
"Sounds rough."  
  
"Yeah...but what are you doing here? Your shift doesn't start for another half hour."  
  
Leave it to CR-S01 to memorize everyone's schedules. Maria shook her head. "I just decided to get an early start, ya know? Is there something wrong with that?"  
  
CR-S01 didn't look convinced as he eyed her suspiciously. "You look really tired."  
  
"I just woke up."  
  
"There's bags under your eyes."  
  
"Well, I..."  
  
"And...is that blood on your sleeve?"  
  
"Okay, okay! You got me!" Maria shouted back. "Just...stop analyzing me. That's creepy."  
  
"Am I not allowed to be concerned for a teammate?" He shrugged. "I promise, I won't tell anyone."  
  
Which basically meant that Maria had no reason not to explain herself and that he was urging her to do so. Whether he knew it or not, he was pretty damn good at manipulating other people.  
  
Maria rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll tell you. I haven't been sleeping well these past couple weeks. That's why I'm so drained. And tonight I was in the labs because I thought I should check to see if I had Rosalia."  
  
He raised his eyes at her in curiosity. "Why?"  
  
_Because I'm paranoid_ didn't sound like such a good answer. "Well...okay, this might sound crazy but...what if I told you that I kinda...heard someone tell me to do that."  
  
"You heard someone?"  
  
_Great, now he probably thinks I'm mentally unstable._ "Uh, not really heard. More like saw. You know...like a ghost?"  
  
"A ghost?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
CR-S01 fell silent as he pondered over what she just said. Meanwhile, Maria was inwardly kicking herself for saying something so farfetched. The first time she claimed she saw a ghost, everyone was quick to judge her for being too over stressed to function properly. Now here she was relaying almost the exact same information to someone who's intellect and scientific mind far surpassed her own, and she would be willing to bet that he now thought she was an idiot. And that's the last thing she wanted her colleague to think of her. Behind him, Maria could see Rosalia sitting in one of the lounge chairs, obviously very entertained.  
  
"Don't worry, Maria, he should be used to this." She said. "When I was little, I used to sleep with him in his bed because I thought there was a monster in my closet. It took him almost a month of convincing me that it was just a coat hanger before I finally believed him!"  
  
"What are you still doing here?!" Maria exclaimed.  
  
CR-S01 jumped at her sudden outburst, eyes widened with surprise. "B-But, uh, I've been here this whole time..."  
  
Maria realized what had just happened and slapped herself in the face. "S-Sorry, I...I don't know what came over me."  
  
"It's alright." He exhaled sharply. "I think I know what's going on now. Is the ghost in this room right now?"  
  
"Look, can you just tell me that ghosts don't exist and not make fun of me?"  
  
"I'm not making fun of you, nor am I teasing whatever fantasy you may have. I'm merely asking if you see that ghost right now."  
  
Rosalia nodded in the affirmative, basically telling her to say it. Maria held her breath and let it out slowly. "Yeah. She's behind you right now."  _Feel free to send me to counseling now._  
  
"I see..."  
  
His tone seemed to have drifted off solemnly until he returned to his usual state of silence. He lowered his eyes so he could gaze down at the floor, but to Maria she thought she saw a flicker of pain in his expression that he was trying to hide from her. She wondered what could have brought this sudden behavior on.  
  
"Look, I'm just gonna come out and say it." She said. "I see Rosalia. She doesn't look like a corpse, she looks like she's alive and really there. She talks to me, and I can hear her. She told me that I'm imagining her, but it feels so real. I thought I could be hallucinating or something."  
  
CR-S01 didn't look back at her, though he did indicate that he was listening as he nodded after every other sentence. Finally, he raised his head, and Maria could have sworn that he looked like he had seen a ghost himself. He mumbled, "I know what you mean. I can see her too."  
  
Maria raised her eyebrows, stunned. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah." He gave her a sad smile as he reached for his coffee mug, only to discover that it was empty. He declined Maria's offer to refill it. "It was after everything went back to normal. She 'visited' me in prison. Just like you, I could see her and hear her talking to me, but I didn't respond because I didn't want the guards to think I was insane."  
  
"Heh, I know what you mean."  
  
"And I also tested myself to see if I did have the virus. I had Dr. Cunningham examine me, but I didn't tell him that it was because Rosalia told me to."  
  
At least he understood what she was going through. Maria sighed and slumped over the table so she could rest her head on her arms. "Why do you think this is happening to us? I thought Rosalia had left me alone for good after this whole thing ended, but I still see her. It's starting to get distracting."  
  
"Sorry about that..." Rosalia whispered, frowning.  
  
CR-S01 agreed. "Yeah. This isn’t something we can talk to other people about in a regular setting."  
  
"Exactly. It's so weird...even I can't tell if I'm grieving or just going crazy."  
  
"You probably miss her." He said. "Though the body may die, the memory and spirit of that person live on in the people who knew them."  
  
"You've been hanging around Tomoe for too long." Maria laughed. "But now that you mention it, I guess...I really haven't come to terms with her death."  
  
"Oh, Maria..." Rosalia spoke up. "Even though you can't see me, I'll always be with you and big bro."  
  
"I know what's going on." CR-S01 responded. "I think you're afraid that you'll forget her."  
  
That was rather shocking to hear. "F-Forget her?"  
  
"Yeah. At least, that's how I feel. I don't want the name 'Rosalia' to remind me of that hellish disease that nearly wiped out America. I want to remember that innocent, fun-loving girl I grew up with."  
  
"Big bro..." Rosalia got up from her chair and embraced him, even though she knew fully well that he wouldn't be able to notice.   
  
He continued, "Does any of that make sense to you?"  
  
"Yeah, it does. I can definitely relate." Maria groaned. "I know I want her memory to stay with me for as long as possible, but...I'd rather not see her ghost all the time. I just...wish I could think of a way to move on without letting her go."  
  
"Well, when you can figure something out, please tell me. I'd like to know too." CR-S01 got up, placed his mug in the sink, and grabbed his Resurgam Visitors' ID that he had taken off earlier. "I better get to my room so I can find some rest before this operation."  
  
"Ah, yeah I better get going too." Maria rose from her seat and put on her jacket. "Anyway, thanks for the talk. It really helped knowing that someone else is going through this too. If you can keep it just between us, that'd be great."  
  
"I'm glad I could help...even though it wasn't much. Good luck with today."  
  
Before Maria started her shift, a thought came to her. She was reminded of what CR-S01 had told her earlier when Rosalia showed up next to her again, ready to offer up her opinion.  
  
"You can just imagine me away whenever you want." She said.  
  
"I know." Maria whispered. "But...I don't think I'm ready to let you go just yet. I want to do something that will honor your memory." A thought suddenly came to her, and she immediately brightened up at the idea. "That's it!"

* * *

Later that day Maria, along with CR-S01- who was able to get permission from his guard to let him go out with her- stood outside the glass doors of a tattoo parlor. A neon orange "OPEN" sign flickered in the window.  
  
"Why did we come here?" He asked.  
  
"Because," She said, already walking inside with him in tow. "I've found a way to remember Rose...permanently."  
  
Rosalia smiled. "Aw, that's so sweet. But it's gonna hurt, you know."  
  
"But it'll be worth it."  
  
Maria explained what she wanted to get to her artist, who nodded at the idea and told her and CR-S01 to come to the back. She took off her jacket and sat down in a chair. As the artist started to get everything ready, CR-S01 turned to her and spoke.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this?"  
  
Maria inhaled deeply and slowly nodded in confidence. "Yes. I'm sure."  
  
After a few minutes, the artist came over and tapped her left shoulder. "Right here?"  
  
"Uh-huh. On the front please."  
  
"Got it."  
  
CR-S01 watched with partial fascination as Maria got her tattoo done. It was almost like watching a surgery, except that instead of an OR, they were in a small room with heavy metal music blasting from the speakers. Maria didn't move as she felt the ink being injected into her skin. It stung a little bit, but besides her high pain tolerance, it was also her desire to honor Rosalia that kept her mind off the pain. After an hour and a half, her tattoo was done. A red rose with Rosalia's name in cursive below it was now inked on her shoulder. Maria smiled at the finished result before a bandage was placed over it. After receiving instructions on how to care for it as it healed, she was about ready to pay her artist and walk out when the man suddenly said:   
  
"Alright, your turn."  
  
Maria realized he was talking to CR-S01, and she couldn't prevent a surprised outburst from coming out. "What?! You're gonna get one too?"  
  
He nodded. "I debated it on the way over and decided it would help me too. I…also want to honor her this way."  
  
"Huh...well, okay then. Do you know what you’re gonna get?"  
  
"I think I do…"  
  
CR-S01 sat down in the chair after it was sterilized and patted his left pec. "Here, please."  
  
The artist nodded and waited as CR-S01 undid the straps that held his straightjacket together until he was able to reveal his chest. The artist cleaned his skin and drew an outline of his tattoo with marker. Maria felt her breath catch in her throat when she saw what it was: monarch butterfly wings.  
  
"She loved monarch butterflies." He explained in a wistful voice. "I-I still remember how excited she became whenever she saw one in our yard."  
  
"Ah...she was the same way when she was at the orphanage too."  
  
Unlike Maria, CR-S01 slightly twitched when he was getting his tattoo. He must have been more sensitive to the pain it caused. It almost got to the point where his artist was about to ask if he wanted to take a break or stop and come in another time. Instead, CR-S01 glanced up at Maria, a somewhat pleading look in his dark red eyes. Already knowing what he needed, Maria went over and squeezed his hand tightly to ease him through the pain. Though Maria couldn't see it, he could see Rosalia placing her hand on top of both of theirs like she was helping too, smiling encouragingly at him. The rest of the process went smoothly, and soon he had a pair of monarch butterfly wings on his chest. He too received the same instructions and had the tattoo bandaged up. Maria paid for the both of them despite his protests, saying that it was for Rose's sake as well as theirs, and with that the two left the parlor. By then evening time had fallen with the sun already settling below the horizon, the sky alive with vibrant red and orange colors. It was truly breathtaking. Rose now stood in front of the two doctors, glowing in her own radiance.   
  
"I'm really touched that you would choose to remember me this way." She said, nearly tearing up from happiness. "I loved you guys so much...and I still do."  
  
Maria smiled, though her body started trembling. "You know, I...I didn't know that when you left the orphanage...that it would be the last time I'd ever see you as you were. I really...regret not saying goodbye."  _Dammit, why do I have to start crying now, of all places?!_  
  
Rose giggled. "Not a day went by where I didn't stop thinking of you and big bro. I had always wanted you to come visit me and see the flowers I planted. It would have been fun."  
  
"Yes...yes it would."  
  
"I loved you guys...I still do. And I'm sure that even though I'm gone, you'll never forget about me."  
  
"H-Hell no." Maria paused so she could compose herself. She lightly felt her shoulder where her tattoo was. "I've already made sure of that."  
  
"Hehe yes, yes you did." Rose sighed and looked at the sunset. "Maria...we'll see each other again. I'm sure we will. For now though...this is goodbye."  
  
That last statement almost made Maria break down into sobbing, but the paramedic merely bit her lip and closed her eyes. "G-Goodbye, Rose. I-I'll never forget you."  
  
Just like that, Rosalia smiled one last time as she faded away. When Maria opened her eyes again, she was completely gone. A hand fell on her shoulder, and she turned to see CR-S01 gazing into her eyes.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.  
  
Maria sniffled as she wiped her eyes. "Y-Yeah, I'll be fine. But...I don't think Rose will be coming to visit me anytime soon, heh..."  
  
"At least you'll always have her memory to cherish."  
  
"Yeah...you're right." She reached out to touch his chest where his tattoo was. "I'm glad we did this."  
  
"Me too. I think...this was a great way to come to terms with everything."  
  
Maria nodded, then pulled him in for an embrace. He stiffened up in reservation at first, but eventually relaxed and hugged her close to him. His hand lightly brushed against where her tattoo was before settling on her waist, and a warm feeling swelled within her chest. Even though she was no longer around, Maria knew that the spirit of Rose would still live on through them. Their tattoos were proof of that. And as they stood there, enveloped in each other's arms, a monarch butterfly softly fluttered towards them until it rested on Maria's shoulder.

**Author's Note:**

> I still love Trauma Center and my doctor babes. Atlus, why you gotta be so mean to your creations? At least put them up for adoption so they can go to a good home, someone who will feed them, love them, take care of them, and put them in new games :( /rant


End file.
